St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-10-18
kLbION'S DRAMATIST.
Shakespeare's Memory Hon.
ored by Noted Men at His
Old Home,
The Occasion Being the Pres
entatiOn of a Costly
Fountain
To the City of Stratford-U
Avon by Mr.. George w.
Childs.
a Literary Feast in the Way
Of Letters, Poems and
Speech eS.

LONDON. Oct. 1.-THE Inauguration
of the memorial fountain presented by
Mr.. q. w. ChildS of Philadelphia to
Stratford-upon-Avon, passed off under
the brightest auspices. Never has the
old town celebrated a festive occasion
with more enthusiasm or presented it
self under better aspect. The weather
was perfect. The last afterglOw of sum-
mer suffused the antique tenements
with a softening light, and the streets
were radiant with bunting draping the
ancient frontageS and suspended in fes-
tOons along the caves. Ne general hOli-
day had been proclaimed by the authOri-
ties but the towns folk of their
own prompting made holiday.
The mayor. Sir Arthur Hodgson, had
suggested a partial suspension of busi-
ness during the ceremony, but the event
quite stirred the pulses OF the people,
and the day became a general jubilee.
Public interest was much more than
local. Visitors from London. Birming-
ham other populous centeIS were at
tracted and contributed to give STRAIT
ford one of the liveliest days in its an
"A
were United States Minister Phelps,
Henry Irving and Sir Theodore
Martin. who arrived Sunday. Mr..
Phelps. left 1nverary castle Sat
urday. coming south especially for the
occasion. He was guest of the mayer.
Mr.. Irving. who finished his provincial
tour in Liverpeol Saturday night, ar
rived on a special train Sunday and be-
came guest of Councillor Flower. Lord
Ronald Cover. Lord Delaware, Sir
Theodore Martin. Sir Philip Cundiffe
Owen and the mayors of Worcester,
Litchtield, Coventry. Warwick and
bennington were among the guests of
the corporation. At noon all these with
many other visitors had assembled at
the town hall. whence the mayor and
the members Of the corporation, all at
tired
IN THEIR OFFICIAL ROBES,
in procession to the site of the memorial.
Here there had long been assembled
large throng of towns folk and strang-
ers. who admired the graceful proper
tionS of the fine structure which now as
sociates the II; IN of Mr.. Chifds with
the history OF Stratford-upon-AEen
The crowd was cleared back by a guard
of the local volunteer corps. and square
was formed. within which the ceremony
was proceeded with. \ large marques
inclement weather. but tit-waS deserted
for the space around fountain.
The mayor opened the proceedings.
He referred TO the regretable absence of
James Russell Lowell. He had, how
ever. received letter from Mr.. Lowell.
which would go home to the hearts of
ali who heard it and of many more who
would read it. The letter said:
Il should more deeply regret my inability
fp a nio1 Of
the 9TH were il not that my countrymen will
De more fifty ana adequately represented
there by their accomplished minister, Mr..
POelpS. The occasion Is certainly most in
teTesting one. The monument which you ac-
cept to-day in behalf Of your townsmen com
memorates al once The most marvellous of
Englishmen and the jubilee year of the au-
gust lady whose name is honored wherever
the language is spoken of which he was the
the greatest master No symbol
could more aptly serve this double
purpose than a fountain, for surely
no poet ever Toured forth so broad river of
speech as he, whether he was the author of
the 'Novum 0rganum' also or not. Nor
could the purity of her character and eX-
ample be better typified than by the current
that shall flow forever from the sources
opened here to-day. Cheers 1t was Wash
ington Irving who first embodied in his de-
lightful English the emot On which Stratford-
on-Avon awakes in the heart of the pilgrim.
and especially OF the American pilgrim who
visits it.. | am glad to think that this me-
THE GIFT OF IN AMERICAN,
and thus serve TO recall the kindred blood of
the two great nations, joint heirs of the same
noble language and of the genius that has
given ii n cosmopolitan Significance ] am
glad of ii because it is one of the multiplying
signs that those two nations are beginning
TO think more and more of the things in
which they sympathiZe and less and less of
those in which they differ. Cheersl 4
common language is not, indeed. the s1rest
bond of amity- for this enables each country
TO understand whatever unpleasant thing the
other may chance 10 say about il. As am
one of those who believe that an honest friend
ship between England and America is most
desirable thing, trust that we shall on both
sides think il equally desirable in our ilrter-
course one with another to make our mother
tongue search her Golfers round for the
polished. rather than the shap-cornered
PpthetS she has stored there Let us by all
means speak the truth to each other, for
there is no one else who can speak ii to either
of us with such 4 fraternal instinct for the
weak point of the other: but let us do il in
such wise as TO show that il is the truth we
love, and not the discomfort we can inflict by
means of II. lCries of hear. hear Let us
say agree things TO each other and of each
nt'' --O4eVer We conScientiously can. Nv
friend. Mr.. Childs. had said one of these
agreeable things in a very solid and durable
way. Common literature and coT.mon re-
spect for certain qualities of character and
ways of thinking supply neutral ground
where We may meet in the assurance that we
shall find something amiable in each other,
from beng less than kInd become more than
kiHd. [Cheersl. In old maps the line. which
outlined British possessions i'll America in
cluded the greater part of what is now the
territory of the United States. The posses
sions of the American in England are laid
down on no map, yet he holds them in
memory and Imagination by title such
as no conquest ever established and no reyo-
lution can ever overthrow. The dust that is
iacred TO you is sacred TO him. The annals
which Shakespeare makes walk befo'e us in
flesh and blood, and are his no lJss than
yOuls. These are the tie which we recognize
and are glad 10 recognize on occasions like
this. They viii be yearly drawn closer as
science goes on with her work of abolishing
ti1ue and space and thus render more easy
chat peaceful commerce twixt dividable
shores which is SO potent to clear way what
ever is exclusive in nationality or savors of
barbarism in patriotism. ! remain. dear Mr..
Mayor. faithfully yours. j. Il. LOWELL.
ENTHUSIASTIC CHEERS
were given when tie MAYOR finished
rea,aii:.., aai:. n. c,e.I's letter The nnet
Whittier, had 'a,ssvo 1,,ittitvll IL q c0ngfatuia.
Tory letter to Mr.. Childs, in which he
said .llat the gift during the present
year was happy thought as connected
with the queens jubilee, and would go
far toward atoIling for foolish uttsr-
ances about England coming from some
American citizens. This portion of the
letter was received with cries of Hear.
hear Looking at the memorial. .
continued the mayor. .'everybody
must acknowledge that it is a hand